Economy of Cotonou

Important manufactured goods include palm oil and cake, brewing, textiles, and cement. Motor vehicles and bicycles are assembled, and there are also sawmills in the city. Petroleum products, bauxite, and iron are major exports. There are also offshore platforms drilling for oil. The city is also a center for the automotive trade, with European brands being sold from vast open-air parking lots. In the past, Citroën assembled cars (for instance, the Citroën 2CV and Ami 8) locally.

By 2012, Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea had significantly decreased trade at the port of Cotonou.

In the Missebo area, Cotonou is a textile market of African Print mainly handled by Indian wholesalers and retailers